Dean Baldwin Painting met a critical milestone as the community begins evaluations of construction bids for the company’s newest aircraft painting facility in Peru, Ind. The state-of-the-art facility represents the first aviation expansion for the region in years, bringing hundreds of jobs to the area.
Construction bids for Dean Baldwin Painting’s newest expansion in Peru, Ind. are moving forward as the aircraft painting company gears up for the groundbreaking. The last date to receive bid responses from the prospective construction companies was March 14. The bids were evaluated for correctness and thoroughness, and all indications are that the bids received are within budget requirements. The remodeling will expand upon an already existing hangar at the Grissom Aeroplex in Miami County near Peru, home of Grissom Air Reserve Base. Once construction is complete, the hangar will be on lease to Dean Baldwin Painting by the community. This landmark expansion is the first in years since the 1993 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) decision, a board which shut down and relocated airfields across the United States.
“This is a very positive next step,” said Jim Tidd, executive director of Miami County Economic Development Authority, adding that “this is the beginning of a tremendous opportunity for the community.”
Dean Baldwin Painting’s newest facility will bring over 200 new jobs to Miami County and will help strengthen the region’s workforce, where the 10.2% unemployment rate is already above the national average.
The newest Dean Baldwin Painting expansion will increase the size of the existing facilities from 98,000 square feet to 155,000 square feet, adding the capability to house very large B747-8 aircraft. The expansion will also include the addition of state-of-the-art equipment, transforming the facility into a modern aircraft strip and painting facility. When completed, it will feature four full-service bays, expandable to six bays, equipped to strip and paint aircraft. The bays will have independently functioning air control and heating units, and will be large enough to accommodate two wide body aircraft and two narrow body aircraft simultaneously, expandable to six narrow body aircraft when the wide body bays are not in use.
Following formal engineering review and approval by the EDA (Economic Development Administration), and the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) the construction will begin at a rapid pace.
About The Company
Dean Baldwin Painting has been providing expert aircraft painting services to the aviation industry for over 45 years. The company has a respectable client base that includes US Airways, Air Canada, United Airlines, JetBlue Airways, ABX Air, SkyWest Airlines and many other highly-regarded air carriers. In addition, the company is an experienced service provider to the US government, having completed a seven-year contract with Hill AFB for stripping and painting C130 aircraft, which earned the company a good Past Performance Record with the Air Force. Dean Baldwin also carries out high-end paint services for corporate and private operators.
Dean Baldwin Painting, LP., with corporate offices located in Bulverde, Texas, operates from three locations in the U.S. – Phoenix Goodyear, Ariz.; Roswell, N.M.; and San Antonio, Texas, and a fourth location will be coming on line in the fourth quarter of 2012. The company is a certified minority woman-owned, small, privately held business specializing in aircraft refinishing services.
